FLIGHT INSTRUMENTATION FOR SIMULTANEOUS DETECTION OF FLOW SEPARATION & TRANSITION

A PORTABLE DATA ACQUISITION AND INSTRUMENTATION SYSTEM (DAISY) HAS BEEN DEVELOPED BY AS&M, INC. FOR WIND-TUNNEL TESTS. IT INCORPORATES A UNIQUE AND PATENTED TECHNIQUE TO ACCURATELY IDENTIFY AND DEMARCATE REGIONS OF FLOW SEPARATION, REATTACHMENT, AND THE LEADING-EDGE STAGNATION POINT. SIMULTANEOUSLY, LAMINAR-TO-TURBULENT TRANSITION AND THE SPECTRAL CONTENT OF THE MOST AMPLIFIED DISTURBANCES IN THE BOUNDARY LAYER CAN ALSO BE DETERMINED. INNOVATIVE APPLICATION OF THIS POWERFUL TECHNIQUE IS PROPOSED TO MEET THE CHALLENGING NEED FOR A SIMPLE, PORTABLE, EFFECTIVE, AND REAL TIME, IN-FLIGHT FLOW DIAGNOSTICS TOOL. A HIGH-PERFORMANCE SAILPLANE WILL BE USED DURING PHASE I OF THE PROJECT FOR THE IN-FLIGHT DETECTION OF THE SURFACE BOUNDARY-LAYER CHARACTERISTICS. MULTIELEMENT NON-INTRUSIVE HOT-FILM SENSORS WILL BE INSTALLED ON THE WING AND A LIGHT WEIGHT, COMPACT INSTRUMENTATION PACKAGE CONSISTING OF A BANKOF CONSTANT TEMPERATURE ANEMOMETERS, SIGNAL CONDITIONERS, AND A MICRO-COMPUTER BASED DATA ACQUISITION SYSTEM SIMILAR TO DAISY WILL BE USED. THE INSTRUMENTATION SYSTEM AND THE ASSOCIATED SOFTWARE PACKAGE WILL BE DESIGNED AS A GENERAL PURPOSE DIAGNOSTICS TOOL FOR A VARIETY OF FLIGHT TEST APPLICATIONS. HIGH-SPEED APPLICATIONS WILL BE FOLLOWED UP DURING PHASE II OF THE PROPOSAL WITH A SUITABLE AIRCRAFT.